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Topic Review (Newest First)

11-23-2012 11:26 AM

unxetas

And always remember to keep your weight balanced! Focus on the leading foot, don't lean back!

11-22-2012 11:07 PM

smat

gjsnowboarder: Thanks so much! That is VERY thorough and helpful. I'll definitely get that down first. The other website I was referring to calls those "J-turns" and I will be practicing those right after the "sliding practice". I'll try linking turns after.

unxetas: You're right. It's all coming back to me now - since I was getting so frustrated my first couple of times just staying on the bunny hill, and because I knew enough to make my way down a green run without falling, I just abandoned the practice and just kept doing the runs in my ad-hock way.

It's very important that you practice riding on your toe edge. Even at the bunny hill in Cypress, force yourself to ride down the whole run on your toes. You have to be comfortable on your toes before you start making turns.. Just do it, go up on a weekday and spend an hour lapping the bunny hill on your toe edge. Turns will become a lot easier!

When you're starting out (like I am, really..) it's tempting to get stuck doing something you're comfortable with rather than frustrating yourself learning things you don't particularly like. But you really have to put in the effort to learn the basics and it'll reward you in the end

gjsnowboarder: Thanks for replying! You hit the nail on the head - it's the first problem. Actually, I am great with managing my heel edge. It is going from heel-to-toe to begin the process of turning is where I am stuck. I am pretty bad with my toe edge (when I am looking up at the hill while trying to go down backwards with my board horizontal to the direction of the run). With the heel edge, I fall on my bum which isn't so bad and thus I have gotten good at it. With my toe edge though, I tend to fall on my face which isn't fun lol

The above link might help you out as it details through one riders difficulties and the suggestions to help understand and improve. Two things I would suggest first off before trying to jump straight to turns is: ONE: when you are just sliding straight down the hill with the board horizontal Think about standing up taller, with knees slightly bent and back straighter with your butt tucked in a little. Try to control your speed by pressing your uphill edge into the snow harder and to move faster not pressing as hard. DO this until you can come to a complete stop and keep standing. This should be for both edges( ie. looking up is toe-side, looking down is heel-side). TWO, Get traversing down next. Now let your nose point slightly diagonal down the run to either your left or right. Try to ride to the sides of the run. TO slow down use the pressing motion from above and turn up the hill by point the outside of your front foot, knee, hip, and shoulder up the run. Do this both way (toe/heel) until you can stop while still standing and not fall most of the time. Once this is accomplished then use the advice from the link to link turns. Sometimes not mastering an earlier skill of riding can make a later skill that mush harder. Hopefully, I didn't break it back to far.

Honestly though a lesson with someone watching you will do more amazing things for you then us on this site. Sometimes posting video of your riding can clarify your success and difficulties so that the feedback you can get here is more dialed in.

11-20-2012 11:22 PM

smat

grafta: Thanks! Ah, good to know. Carving then would be the step after I have learned to link steps. Thanks for the encouragement!

11-20-2012 09:51 PM

grafta

The Vancouver local hills all provide perfect learning slopes. You don't need to go travelling around...

You've just gotta push past the initial learning curve to be able to confidently link turns safely.

Ok, and it's linking turns... not carving

The others are right, try go on days that aren't so busy if you can.

You'll get there

11-20-2012 09:23 PM

smat

jello24 - "The OK part of Surrey" LMAO!

11-20-2012 09:22 PM

smat

Thanks!

gjsnowboarder: Thanks for replying! You hit the nail on the head - it's the first problem. Actually, I am great with managing my heel edge. It is going from heel-to-toe to begin the process of turning is where I am stuck. I am pretty bad with my toe edge (when I am looking up at the hill while trying to go down backwards with my board horizontal to the direction of the run). With the heel edge, I fall on my bum which isn't so bad and thus I have gotten good at it. With my toe edge though, I tend to fall on my face which isn't fun lol

I think I should maybe get an instructor for an hour or so.

PS - I tried to follow this excellent blog by this couple from Colorado (your hood!) - Free Learn to Snowboard Videos | SnowProfessor - but everytime I tried to practice things at the bunny hill on Seymour, the run ended before I even did a part of what the video teaches. I'll try SnoWolf's videos as well.

unxetas and jello24: Thanks for the insight! Both runs seem to offer what I need... during weekdays anyway. I'll hopefully be able to manage school next term to have a day or two off in the middle of the week.

Thanks again everyone! Any suggestions for instructors and location? If you have anything else to add, I'm all ears!

11-20-2012 02:03 PM

jello24

Collins at night on a weekday is usually empty. the most crowded parts of Collins at night is the hill at the top where beginners get caught with not enough speed and get stuck and the flat area beside the Easy Rider exit where everyone just picnics on. Other than those two spots Collins pretty much fits your bill.

The section after the hill is very straight, very wide, and really gentle. The snow in that section gets pretty ugly though, patches of ice, a few bumps, but its par for the course for a run that gets a lot of traffic. The run is long, constant turns will produce a run ~5 mins on average. Point it and you can go ~2 mins usually.

Panorama is slightly shorter, slightly more narrow (but not by a lot) but is more flat until you reach the hairpin, then flattens out again. The runout is VERY wide, and is usually the best place to get really wide turns going, albeit just 2 or 3 of them until you reach the bottom runout.

Cypress has really good, mild beginner runs. There's a reason why it's a popular place for beginners to go. The beginner runs are really well suited for the level, and even still the blue runs are very mild. Great mountain to progress through the beginner - low intermediate level. You'll eventually run out of terrain to ride if you want more progression, but whistler's just a drive away anyway.

11-20-2012 01:40 PM

unxetas

Collins is usually too busy to actually learn much, I think Panorama is much better, especially when it gets colder and everyone moves to Collins after lunch.

If you go during the week, they're both perfect to learn on..

The bunny hill at Mt Seymour is really too small, the other runs are maybe a bit too tight? Grouse I have very little experience with. The gondola and what not were just a hassle the one time we went up, never been back. I should try it again! But actually, I spent that one night helping my girlfriend at the bunny hill and she loved it. Lots of room, not steep at all.. But very short.

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